Towards a Mexico Without Hunger

In 2013, the Mexican government started the implementation of a strategy to fight hunger in the country. This strategy is called “Campaign Against Hunger” and will support 7.4 million people living in extreme poverty and malnutrition. The national campaign is one that promotes inclusive prosperity and seeks to ensure food security through coordination between the various departments of the Federal Public Administration in partnership with civil society and the private sector.

The objectives of the campaign can be summarized in 5 main points:

– Better feed people in Mexico who are suffering from extreme poverty and severe food shortages.

– Eradicate severe acute malnutrition in children and improve growth indicators in early childhood.

– Increase production and income of farmers and small producers.

– Minimize post-harvest losses and food during storage and transportation, as well as in stores.

– Promote community participation.

The inclusion of these programs in our country generates greater commitment to the poor as it strives toward the common welfare of the population. However, such programs are not enough to guarantee positive change in Mexico. While the focus and aim of the Campaign Against Hunger is to seek the common good and eradicate the lack of food for all people living in extreme poverty, it is only a short-term solution. We must look into permanent solutions to address the underlying problem. The project is good and important, but more important should be enabling the poor to provide solutions for themselves.

One way to do this would be to emphasize the importance of increasing the production and income of farmers and small producers, so they can grow more food and create more employment and production. This strategy would have a greater effect on eradicating hunger than merely supplying the poor with food. It would create a system that provides a permanent source of income for people currently living in extreme poverty and improve their life quality.

It is crucial to point out that the satisfaction of the person´s basic needs, besides improving their life quality, allows for the integral development for the person by tending to their physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual nature. It is for this reason that is of great importance to satisfy these basic needs, so that a true protection of human dignity may be ensured.